(Starred review.) Brockmole uses letters to tell a remarkable story of two women...and two world wars.... The beauty of Scotland, the tragedy of war, the longings of the heart, and the struggles of a family torn apart by disloyalty are brilliantly drawn, leaving just enough blanks to be filled by the reader’s imagination.Publishers Weekly

Already being compared to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, this novel lacks the magical charm of its powerful predecessor.... [T]he story begins to feel heavy-handed, and there are few surprises, good or bad. [T]he narrative also includes a second story line set 20 years later that further reflects on the [original] relationship. However, David and Elspeth never truly come to life. —Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OHLibrary Journal

Told exclusively via letters between lovers, mother and daughter, and husband and wife, Brockmole’s novel will make readers feel that they’re illicitly reading someone’s diary. But the letter convention has its drawbacks. It’s difficult to get a full sense of who these characters are beyond what is written in their letters, which leaves them, at times, flat and two-dimensional. —Carolyn KubiszBooklist

The correspondence between Elspeth and David, as well as between Margaret and Paul, carefully traces the intertwining of lives. By turns lyrical and flirtatious, Brockmole's debut charms with its wistful evocation of a time when handwritten, eagerly awaited letters could bespell besotted lovers. Kirkus Reviews